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How well do your kids sleep?
This subject has come up quite a bit for me lately in my work with parents and children. Topics of discussions have included kids who aren't getting enough sleep and don't have the quality of energy they need in order to meet the tasks of the day, kids who have trouble falling asleep, kids who frequently get up during the middle of the night, some awakened by nightmares, some seemingly awakened by nothing at all. The challenges parents face in trying to understand why their kids are struggling, while trying to get enough sleep themselves in order to function properly, can be exhausting. This can be a very difficult experience for many families.
Each one of our kids is unique and often requires a different set of skills from us, skills we develop as we go along.
Some tips for peace at bedtime and beyond:
Establish rituals - ones like "Baths, Books, Bed," help children to prepare for nighttime and to train their bodies to wind down for sleep.
Use Visualizations before bed- you want their last thoughts to be sweet, peaceful and focused on something that makes their bodies feel happy, relaxed and content. Encourage your son or daughter to focus their minds on something that brings their body relaxation so that physiologically they feel the effects of what their minds are concentrating on.
Listening to meditative CD's can be very helpful and have a hypnotic effect on your child's psyche while they sleep. Positive affirmation CD's are particularly beneficial and can soothe children into a peaceful slumber and continue to affect them during the night. Meditative CD's are particularly helpful for kids who are prone to thoughts of worry.
No matter what category your child falls in with regard to interrupted sleep - bad dreams, in your bed night after night, up at night with no sleep at all - being present with your kids can be the greatest tool we can use to gain control when we are at our wit's end.Examples are holding them through their restlessness, talking them through a bad dream, or snuggling with them as they fall back to sleep, mindful that this too shall pass.
Know that from an energy perspective, there is something our child needs from us that they are unable to verbalize. We can provide this for them by simply being close- whether allowing them in our bed, setting up an air mattress on the floor next to our bed or lying with them in their own beds until they fall back to sleep. Those acts of being present help our children to feel validated, heard, protected, loved - safe.
Depicting this point are some words from "Everyday Blessings, The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting" by Myla and Jon Kabat- Zinn:
"the nights when I make the physical and psychic space to be fully present and somehow it comes about, sharing a child's concern or feeling her drift into sleep with her head on my chest, I am reminded of how precious this time can be."
Our children are in our care for such a short time if we really think about it. The challenging moments, like many others we face as parents, won't last forever. Simply, yet powerfully, being present is really all that is required of us in order to move through these times with grace.
Sweet Dreams and Happy February.
Jill | 
Positive Thoughts for Children: An Affirmation CD for Bedtime
